Doing Your Best Work Outside the Office
On your way to the office, you notice a fellow in a flannel shirt hanging out at Starbucks, his tablet in hand. A block down you spot a middle-aged woman in a café staring keenly at the contents on her laptop. You pass a park and smile to yourself when you see a young couple kicking back in the grass with their headphones on. If only you had the day off like them.
In fact, those people are all hard at work. With real-time global communication and mobile everything, the ‘office’ has gotten a lot bigger these days. Instead of staring at dull walls and cubicles, you can get things done in an environment that relaxes you and helps you do your best work.
It sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, before you ditch the business suit and settle down in that quaint little park across from the equally quaint coffee house, here a few tips to help you stay productive:
Begin with a plan. Make your first task of the day prioritizing your top three goals. When you have a clear idea of what you’re trying to accomplish, it makes it easier to stay focused on the most critical tasks and avoid being sidetracked into sampling that Orange-Banana Ethiopian blend mocha.
Don’t multi-task. We all admire those skilled performers who can balance six things at once while simultaneously instant messaging and commenting on funny cat videos, but most of us aren’t that talented. Focus on a single task as much as you can. The reality is that trying to do two things at once will usually take up just as much time as doing them one after the other. Fifteen minutes a day, every day, spent on the important tasks will make amazing progress!
Be sociable. Stay in touch with your office or with other entrepreneurs to keep up to date on what’s happening. If face-to-face visits aren’t practical, try to schedule meetings via webcam or screenshare. Aside from helping maintain your emotional well-being, these interactions help avoid you being the last to know about something or take advantage of an opportunity for a new joint venture.
End strong. Finish your day just as you began it: with purpose. Set your schedule so that your work day ends at a reasonable time. Before you head out, take some time to review your day and prepare a list of the top 3 things you’ll need to accomplish tomorrow. Mornings can be tough sometimes, and every little jumpstart helps.
Decompress. When you’re in the office, it’s easier to separate your home and work life. Outside the office, the two can often blend together. Don’t let them. Take a few minutes after the end of your work day to relax and decompress so you’re ready to tackle challenges outside of work.
If you approach it the right way, working outside the office can be a great way to experience your best, most productive self. After all, why let the people in the park have all the fun.